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Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski Drives Institutional Adoption with Privacy-Focused Prividium
Alex Gluchowski, the co‑founder and chief executive of Matter Labs, has shifted the company’s focus from a public Layer‑2 scaling solution to a privacy‑preserving blockchain designed for regulated institutions. In March 2026, Matter Labs announced a partnership with BitGo that combines institutional custody with Prividium, a permissioned chain that keeps transaction details private while settling on Ethereum.
Gluchowski’s career began in Ukraine as a junior developer before leading engineering teams in Germany. He earned a Master of Science in computer science from the Technische Universität Berlin and later co‑founded Somuchmore GmbH and PaulCamper. In December 2018, he co‑founded Matter Labs with Alexandr Vlasov, aiming to prove that zero‑knowledge proofs could scale Ethereum.
Matter Labs first released zkSync Lite in 2020 as a proof‑of‑concept roll‑up. The company launched zkSync Era in March 2023, the first Ethereum‑Virtual‑Machine‑compatible zk‑rollup on the network. In 2024, Matter Labs added the Elastic Chain, enabling cross‑chain asset movement without external bridges. These products have been adopted by regulated banks and other institutional customers.
In 2026, Gluchowski steered Matter Labs toward Prividium, a permissioned, privacy‑focused chain for banks and regulated institutions. Prividium keeps transaction data private within the user’s infrastructure while still settling on Ethereum, addressing the regulatory concern that public ledgers expose trade strategies or client information. The platform also includes Airbender, a settlement‑proving engine, and is built on the same zero‑knowledge technology that underpins zkSync.
The BitGo partnership, announced in March 2026, provides a combined custody and infrastructure stack for banks issuing tokenized deposits. According to the announcement, the stack is already being tested with regulated financial institutions, with a broader production rollout targeted for later in the year. Gluchowski has described tokenized deposits as a way for banks to bring money on‑chain without leaving the regulatory system.
Matter Labs’ 2026 roadmap, published in January, highlighted four pillars: privacy, deterministic control, verifiable risk management, and native connectivity to global markets. The company’s strategy reflects a deliberate decision to build for real‑world constraints rather than industry shortcuts, as noted in the roadmap. Gluchowski has also indicated that zkSync’s governance will eventually add value‑accrual mechanisms to its token as the network’s interoperable chains mature.
The shift toward institutional infrastructure aligns with a broader trend of regulated financial institutions exploring blockchain solutions that preserve privacy while leveraging Ethereum’s security. Prividium’s permissioned model and zero‑knowledge privacy features position Matter Labs as a key player in this niche. The partnership with BitGo and the ongoing testing with banks suggest that the platform is moving beyond proof of concept toward commercial deployment.
At present, Matter Labs continues to develop and refine Prividium while maintaining its public zkSync products. The company is preparing for a wider production rollout of the BitGo‑Prividium stack later in 2026, and it remains focused on meeting the compliance and privacy requirements of regulated institutions.
Gluchowski’s career began in Ukraine as a junior developer before leading engineering teams in Germany. He earned a Master of Science in computer science from the Technische Universität Berlin and later co‑founded Somuchmore GmbH and PaulCamper. In December 2018, he co‑founded Matter Labs with Alexandr Vlasov, aiming to prove that zero‑knowledge proofs could scale Ethereum.
Matter Labs first released zkSync Lite in 2020 as a proof‑of‑concept roll‑up. The company launched zkSync Era in March 2023, the first Ethereum‑Virtual‑Machine‑compatible zk‑rollup on the network. In 2024, Matter Labs added the Elastic Chain, enabling cross‑chain asset movement without external bridges. These products have been adopted by regulated banks and other institutional customers.
In 2026, Gluchowski steered Matter Labs toward Prividium, a permissioned, privacy‑focused chain for banks and regulated institutions. Prividium keeps transaction data private within the user’s infrastructure while still settling on Ethereum, addressing the regulatory concern that public ledgers expose trade strategies or client information. The platform also includes Airbender, a settlement‑proving engine, and is built on the same zero‑knowledge technology that underpins zkSync.
The BitGo partnership, announced in March 2026, provides a combined custody and infrastructure stack for banks issuing tokenized deposits. According to the announcement, the stack is already being tested with regulated financial institutions, with a broader production rollout targeted for later in the year. Gluchowski has described tokenized deposits as a way for banks to bring money on‑chain without leaving the regulatory system.
Matter Labs’ 2026 roadmap, published in January, highlighted four pillars: privacy, deterministic control, verifiable risk management, and native connectivity to global markets. The company’s strategy reflects a deliberate decision to build for real‑world constraints rather than industry shortcuts, as noted in the roadmap. Gluchowski has also indicated that zkSync’s governance will eventually add value‑accrual mechanisms to its token as the network’s interoperable chains mature.
The shift toward institutional infrastructure aligns with a broader trend of regulated financial institutions exploring blockchain solutions that preserve privacy while leveraging Ethereum’s security. Prividium’s permissioned model and zero‑knowledge privacy features position Matter Labs as a key player in this niche. The partnership with BitGo and the ongoing testing with banks suggest that the platform is moving beyond proof of concept toward commercial deployment.
At present, Matter Labs continues to develop and refine Prividium while maintaining its public zkSync products. The company is preparing for a wider production rollout of the BitGo‑Prividium stack later in 2026, and it remains focused on meeting the compliance and privacy requirements of regulated institutions.
